Shattered Soul
by TsubameSutaa
Summary: What would have happened if Syaoran actually had time to grow a heart? How would the team's journey have changed? *WARNING: Contains spoilers at least up to Chapitre 135.
1. Fai

The waters swirled about the cavern, forming a towering whirlpool with a calm space in the center.  I shook my head, flinging droplets out of my eyes as I searched for Syaoran.  There he was; standing on the same root as I was though closer to the sphere that held Sakura.  His head was titled back, magic flowing out of his eye.  A symbol appeared above his right eye, one I didn't know, but instantly recognized.

_That soul is yours!_ I thought, taking a half-pace forward as the magic continued to leak out of Syaoran's eye.  _It's something that you, and Sakura-chan, and all the people who love you made together!_

_And so..._

I raised my left hand, holding two fingers out.  Magic crackled from the tip of my fingers, surrounding me in a maelstrom of power.  I had made a promise the day I arrived in Yûko's shop.  I would not use magic, not even when I was on the verge of death.  But for someone else...As Kurogane said, that was a different question entirely.

_You mustn't lose it!_

I snapped my arm out, releasing a stream of magic.  The power reformed into millions of symbols, reaching out to surround the symbol leaking from Syaoran's eye.  The two magics collided, crackling and resisting each other like a summer storm.  My hand began to tremble, threatening to break apart from the strain.  I grasped it with my other hand, trying to hold the magic steady.  All the while, I could sense the new symbol that was forming at the bottom of the whirlpool.  I didn't have to look to know that it was the same symbol that appeared beneath Mokona every time we crossed dimensions.

My hand shook violently, and suddenly the symbol above Syaoran's eye burst apart.  I snapped my wrist, severing the connection just in time.  The symbols formed of my magic exploded; I threw my hands up in front of my face and shut my eyes.  The wave of power passed, and I dared to open my eyes.

A small sphere was floating where the splintered symbol had been, emblazoned with a design which I recognized as the Ying Yang.  Syaoran reached out and grabbed the sphere.  Slowly, he lowered his hand, turned it over, and opened it.  The sphere floated just above his palm, surrounded by rising ribbons of magic.  Syaoran lowered his arm, and the sphere dropped to the ground.  It rolled along the root towards me, trailing sparks of magic after it.  Just before it would have dropped off the root and tumbled into the rushing waters of the whirlpool, I stooped and grasped it.  I closed my hand around the sphere, holding his soul close.

Syaoran paused in front of me, and I rose to face him.  His eye was blank and emotionless; I suppressed a shudder as I forced myself to meet his gaze, trying to ignore the gap where his right eye had been.

"Syaoran...kun?" I asked tentatively.

For a moment his gaze remained blank.  Then he blinked.

"Fai-san?"


	2. Kurogane

I raced through the silent hallways of the Tochô, an unusual fear pumping through my blood. Sakura's body was cold in my arms, and growing colder by the minute.

"The ward protecting the Tochô has vanished!" I heard Kakyô shout from behind me. "Something's happening in the underground reservoir!"

"What do you mean, 'something'?" I growled, lengthening my stride.

"I don't know!" he panted, struggling to keep pace with me. "It isn't like I see _everything_ in my dreams! But..." Kakyô paused, gasping for breath as we raced ever faster to the basement. "...Everyone is down there. Everyone that you came with."

~*~

"This is it, huh?" I asked, pushing open the heavy stone door.

"You mustn't enter there carrying a weapon without permission," Kakyô insisted as he caught up.

I glared angrily at him, but there was no time to argue. Casting Sôhi aside, I left it leaning against the doorframe as I sprinted down the steps, Kakyô on my heels.

I could see the rest of the Tochô group at the bottom of the stairwell, standing on a rock platform that jutted out into the reservoir. I raced toward them, wondering where the rest of my group had gotten to.

Suddenly I noticed that Sakura's body was glowing. I paused halfway down the steps as bright ribbons of magic flowed from her. The glow grew brighter, then she vanished in a flash of light.

"She disappeared!" I exclaimed.

"It's possible her body was transported to her soul within the water," Kakyô said, pausing next to me.

There wasn't time to ask for a better explanation or worry about it now. I raced down the rest of the steps to join the group.

"Kurogane!" a voice called, and I caught sight of Mokona in Kazuki's arms. "Syaoran and Fai aren't coming out of the water!"

I gazed up at the towering whirlpool, trying to calculate its speed. No one could survive in those waters for long.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted, shoving Yûto aside. I ran to the edge of the platform, ready to throw myself into the swirling waters. Without warning the whirlpool exploded, sending water cascading around the entire reservoir. I threw my hands up in front of my face, trying to stand steady against the torrent.

Suddenly the roar of water stopped, and I lowered my arms. "What the..."

Thousands of water droplets hung stationary in the air, each nearly double the size of one's fist. I looked past and through the water, where a strange sight met my eyes.


	3. Clone Syaoran

"What...what happened?" I asked, painfully closing my right eye. It felt strangely hollow, almost empty...

"Nothing much to worry about," Fai replied, waving his hand dismissively. "How are you feeling, Syaoran-kun?"

"My eye hurts a lot," I whispered, feeling it gently with my fingers.

"I'm not surprised," a voice said. I whirled around to see Kamui calmly walking along the root towards us. I tensed; the last thing I remembered before seeing Fai again was Kamui trying to slash me to pieces just for knowing Seishiro. "Even for someone like me it would cause a lot of pain to lose your eye."

"Lose my eye?" I croaked, suddenly understanding why it felt like nothing was there.

Fai winced; clearly he had wanted to break it to me a little more gently. "It's true," he confirmed. With a meaningful glance at Kamui he added, "We're not quite sure how it happened, but the point is it's not there anymore."

Kamui crossed his arms, but offered no contradiction. I couldn't help but suspect that they were keeping something from me. I didn't ponder on it for long though; the thought of having lost my right eye was enough to drive every other thought from my mind.

The whirlpool that still swirled about us suddenly burst apart, drenching the three of us in water. I covered my head with my arms, bracing myself against the rush of water. The thunder of the water subsided, and I gazed about us in wonder. The water had stopped completely, simply hanging in midair. The droplets were like prisms, refracting the simple glow given off by the sphere at the center of the roots.

"Hey!" a voice shouted. I glanced up in the direction of the voice to see Kurogane and the rest of the Tochô group standing on the platform at the top of the reservoir. "What's going on down there?"

"Hello, Kuro-run!" Fai called, waving happily. "Seems you got down here in a hurry."

"Quit calling me names already!" Kurogane roared.

"Syaoran! Fai!" Mokona squeaked, wiggling in Kazuki's arms. "Are you guys all right?"

"We're fine!" Fai replied. "It got a little hectic down here, but everything's okay now."

"Where's the princess?" Kurogane asked.

"I thought she was with you!" I gasped.

Kurogane shook his head. "She disappeared when I entered the reservoir."

"Behind you, Syaoran-kun," Fai said, gesturing to the sphere at the center of the roots. I turned, wondering what he meant. The sphere was still glowing, offering the only light in the cavern. There were two figures floating inside...one of them was Sakura!

Before I could sprint along the root towards her, I caught sight of the swirling disc at the bottom of the reservoir. I hadn't noticed it before, but it looked exactly like the disc that formed beneath Mokona when we traveled between worlds. As I watched the disc began to glow, then a figure burst out of it, trailing ribbons of magic. The figure landed on the same root as I was on, and I saw his face clearly for the first time.

He was me.


	4. Real Syaoran

I landed on the root in front of my clone, seeing the shock spread across his face. Two people stood behind him; the vampire looked equally shocked while the magician seemed sad yet accepting, as if he had known all along about my arrival.

Looking up, I spotted more people standing on a platform at the top of the reservoir. It was the group who guarded this place and what it contained; the ninja was with them too.

"Who...who are you?" my clone, Syaoran, asked.

"I am you," I replied. "Or rather, you are me."

With a speed born from years of training, the ninja, Kurogane, leapt from the platform, landing on the root with ease. "What kind of answer is that?" he demanded.

"The truth," I said simply. "I am the original of two Syaorans, the other is here."

I watched as his eyes flickered to the symbol on my chest, and saw the recognition cross his face. As well as the fury. I held up my hands to try and indicate peace, but before either of us could make a move the magician, Fai, stepped between us.

"Wait, Kuro-sama," I heard him murmur. "Now is not the time."

Kurogane opened his mouth to argue, or perhaps to snap back at the nickname, but after a moment he closed it again and crossed his arms.

Fai stepped forward until he was standing next to Syaoran; he looked up questioningly, but the magician just placed a hand on his shoulder to ward off any questions. He held his left fist out towards me, and slowly opened his hand. A small sphere floated there, marked with the Ying Yang design.

"I believe this is yours," he whispered.

The sphere left his hand and zoomed towards me; I held out my own to receive it. It paused right above my palm, glowing as it recognized its owner.

"Fai-san..." Syaoran whispered. "What is that?"

I decided to answer for him. "Half of my heart. Long ago I gave it to you." I glanced up at Fai. "The seal on it began to break, and you tried to return it to him, but it was in vain."

He bowed his head in acknowledgement, maybe even apology. I lowered my own head, letting the sphere be absorbed within me. "Unfortunately, a seal that is broken can never be resealed no matter what method you try."

Reaching up, I hooked a finger in my eye patch and tugged it free. I wouldn't be needing it anymore, not with the return of my eye. "You must have known that, but still you made your bet that the possibility exists."

Fai nodded. "I might have paid dearly for my actions, but I still did not want to see Syaoran-kun lose his soul."

I walked forward until I was standing directly in front of my clone. I held out the eye patch to him; for a brief moment he looked confused, but then his gaze cleared. He accepted the strip of cloth from me and tied it about his eye.

"Kid, what happened to--"

The look Fai gave him was so swift I was almost sure I had missed it. Kurogane fell silent as he glanced between me and my clone.

Without warning Syaoran went wide-eyed with shock. "Sakura!" he gasped.


	5. Sakura

_The people most important to me..._

It was like climbing out of some deep dark hole, swimming through dreams to the conscious world. My fingers twitched.

_The person most important to me..._

That's what the voice had said. Someone very important to me was close. Very close.

"The most important person in my life!"

I opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was Syaoran racing along the root towards me. But he was also standing a little ways back with Kurogane and Fai. Wait, what?

"Princess!" the first Syaoran gasped, skidding to a halt before the sphere I was trapped in. "Are you all right?"

I pressed my fingers to the surface of the sphere, feeling for a weak point. "I'm fine," I responded. For the first time I noticed the eye patch covering his right eye. "What happened to your eye?!"

He shook his head. "I'll explain it to you later; right now, we have to get you out."

Syaoran pounded his fists against the sphere; the tough surface didn't yield. He whirled around. "Mokona! I need Hien!"

I followed his gaze to see a group of people standing on a platform at the top of the reservoir. I didn't recognize any of them; a little boy was holding Mokona.

"O-okay!" it called back. Magic began to swirl from its mouth, and a sword formed. Hien flew through the air towards us; Syaoran caught it and unsheathed the blade.

"Stand back!" he shouted, and slashed the sphere open. I was blown backwards as a huge gash appeared in the side of the sphere, running from the top to the bottom. Syaoran pulled the edge aside and stepped in. I wanted to cry but instead I threw myself at him, flinging my arms around his neck in a hug. Syaoran made a sound halfway between a cry and a gasp, then I felt his arms wrap around me as he returned the gesture. I whimpered softly.

"Princess..." he whispered.

I sniffed, then I pulled myself away from him. "I'm fine," I repeated, blinking back tears. I lifted my hand and gently touched the eye patch he wore. "What happened?"

He flinched away from my touch. "I'll explain it to you soon," he promised. He glanced behind me and I followed his gaze. A large cocoon made of some gel-like substance lay on the bottom of the sphere. It was larger than a man...and was it moving slightly?

I turned back to Syaoran to ask if he knew what it was when I saw a flash of black behind him. Without pausing to think I grabbed Syaoran's shoulders and tripped him over. He gave a yelp of surprise as he fell on top of me, missing those long claws by millimetres.

I stumbled and nearly fell over with his weight, but he quickly righted himself and whipped around. "Kamui-san?!" he exclaimed. I looked around him to see a young man dressed all in black. At first it was the long, dagger-like claws that scared me, until I saw his eyes; slitted and pure gold.

"You will not touch Subaru," he hissed, glaring at us with those golden eyes.

"Subaru...You mean...?" Syaoran asked, his eyes going wide.

Kamui hesitated for the briefest instant before nodding. "It was the ward's power, long ago..." he murmured, looking at the cocoon with a strange look on his face.

"Wait..." I began, feeling a little lost at this strange conversation. Neither of them answered me, though I had probably spoken too softly to be heard.

Kamui moved, and I flinched. But he just walked past us, dropping to his knees next to the cocoon. He placed a hand on the gel-like surface and closed his eyes. He murmured something, so low that I could only catch a few words of what he said. 'Subaru' and 'wake up' and 'must leave'.

"Is he...?" Syaoran asked.

"Yes," Kamui responded, opening his eyes. "I can't break the cocoon; it's too strong."

"Maybe..." Syaoran started, and Kamui turned to face him. "Maybe I could use Hien to open it."

Kamui's eyes darkened mistrustingly for a moment. Then he nodded and stepped back, watching him carefully.

"Syaoran-kun..." I whispered, but he just touched me lightly on the arm and walked forward until he stood above the cocoon. Lowering his sword, he placed the tip of it on the surface of the cocoon and made a quick slash.

The gel-like substance parted neatly, opening into a long gash going width wise in the cocoon. Something sparkled inside it, and a feather rose up. One of my feathers.

Syaoran made a grab for it, but it danced just out of reach. The feather floated towards me, and soft ripples of power spread as it sunk into my chest.

I began to feel woozy, as I always did after regaining one of my memories. My knees buckled, but Syaoran was there to catch me. I blinked with heavy eyelids, fruitlessly fighting the soft blackness that crept over me. Through hazy eyes, I saw the cocoon explode upwards, a man emerging from it. A light shone from the platform high above the reservoir, and I had the vague impression that a woman was suddenly standing by us before I let my eyes fall shut.

"I want some answers," was the last thing I heard Syaoran say before I sank into the darkness.


End file.
